The spear disappeared just as quickly as it had appeared and embedded itself into the Mantis' torso.
Nick hurriedly unsummoned it the moment he noticed that it had hit the mark dead on, hoping to hide his action before any of the Radiant Slayers had noticed.
And, like he'd hoped, for a second nobody did notice.
Except for Beast Slayer.
He froze, eyes wide, mid attack, as the Mantis let out a death rattle before it was abruptly cut off after having both its head and throat crushed under Beast Slayer's fists.
It collapsed entirely, crashing back down to the earth like a toppling tree, kicking up a massive plume of dirt and shredded foliage.
Silence ensued.
The surrounding forest had returned to that familiar, eerie silence that accompanied a Radiant Beast's territory.
Nick exhaled, slowly.
Then let out a low chuckle.
'Jackpot!'
[Radiant Beast Wind Mantis Killed.]
[Beast Armament of the Radiant Beast Wind Mantis Acquired.]
[Consume the beast core to gain up to 50 soul seeds.]
Nick was ecstatic after seeing that his plan had actually worked, and it had netted him another Beast Armament at that!
But Beast Slayer wasn't laughing.
His eyes scanned the surrounding forest like a lion who'd just spotted a pack of hyenas coming to scavenge its prey.
Because he had.
He only caught a glimpse of the spear that had embedded itself in the Mantis and subsequently stole his kill, and it wasn't a weapon that he recognised.
However, his scornful grimace remained on his face.
Beast Slayer knew that there were very few people in War Beast Sanctuary who held a Beast Weapon strong enough to injure, and kill a Radiant Beast.
But he only knew of one spear user.
"DIDO! YOU FUCKING BITCH, REVEAL YOURSELF BEFORE I FORCE YOU OUT!" He shouted into the surroundings at the top of his lungs, becoming even more enraged than the Mantis had in its final moments!
***
Moments earlier.
Nick didn't stick around to admire his handiwork.
The moment he heard the words from the Beast Domain enter his mind, and Beast Slayer's eyes darting through the undergrowth like a paranoid war vet who'd just stepped on a landmine, he knew it was time to get the hell out of there!
And fast!
He didn't even waste time to gloat internally — not yet, anyway…
Not when he still had that psycho Beast Slayer prowling about with murder in his eyes.
With a flick of thought, Nick activated his Sabertooth wolf Speed augmentation, and then released his legs from the ground like coiled springs.
He shot off like a startled deer, tearing through the undergrowth with enough force to rip apart any bush that blocked his path — so long as it wasn't too thick…
Behind him, Beast Slayer's furious roar shook the leaves.
"DIDO! YOU FUCKING BITCH, REVEAL…"
Nick almost tripped.
He couldn't help the snort that escaped his throat.
He had to slap a hand over his mouth as he ran, but the chuckle still bubbled up from his stomach like a shaken soda.
'Oh my god, he's actually convinced it was her behind it!'
He didn't slow down, but his heart felt lighter with each stride.
The look on Beast Slayer's face when he roared her name must have been the kind of hatred reserved for child slapping politicians and tax collectors… it was beautiful, truly.
Poetic.
Nick hadn't even planned on that part. Not really. It was through sheer coincidence that he used the same type of weapon that Dido did.
He just wanted to kill the Mantis and hope the 10% chance of acquiring a Beast Armament played in his favour, which it did.
This was the cherry on top of the blood soaked cake.
By the time he'd dashed three clearings away and leapt over a mossy log big enough to house an entire community of raccoons, the sounds of Beast Slayer's guttural screaming had finally faded into the distance.
Nick slowed, let the Speed Augmentation wear off, and leaned against a tree with a long, low exhale.
He waited.
Five seconds.
Ten seconds.
Nothing.
No crashing bushes. No pursuit from Beast Slayer, nor any of his remaining Radiant Slayers.
He was in the clear.
Finally safe!
And Nick finally burst out laughing.
A loud, hearty and unrestrained laughter.
The kind of laugh that was half exhaustion, half disbelief, and all victorious spite!
"Holy shit! That actually fucking worked!"
He whispered to himself, cautious now that he was outside of the Mantis' territory, meaning there could still be other beasts nearby now.
"I can't believe that psycho even pinned the blame on Dido! Fucking perfect!"
His stomach still shook with silent laughter as he slowly dropped into a crouch to rest for a few minutes, reliving the moment in his head.
Beast Slayer and his remaining cronies wouldn't be following behind any time soon either, as they needed time to heal, as well as watch over the Mantis' corpse with caution.
This was also the reason he hadn't followed Nick in pursuit in the first place, as he'd suspected Dido to be behind the kill steal, which would make him an even bigger moron if he left the corpse behind for Dido's own subordinates to come in and snatch as well!
Losing the chance at obtaining another Radiant Beast Armament was one thing!
But losing the beast core was not something that he could let happen at any cost!
Nick let out another breath and shook his head in awe.
"Beast Slayer thinks Dido's the one who stole his kill…"
The realisation settled in his mind like a warm blanket on a cold, winter morning.
'And Dido thinks Beast Slayer was the one behind the kill steal on the Whiteclaw Snake King too…'
Nick's grin stretched from ear to ear.
They both thought the other had wronged them. Both held grudges.
And now, both had what looked like irrefutable proof of sabotage!
Beast Slayer stealing the kill on the Whiteclaw Snake King was well within anyone's expectations of something he would do.
And now with him absolutely convinced that Dido stole his kill on the Mantis, it looked like she had got one back in retaliation!
You couldn't even make a situation like this up!